Envelop sealing and stamping machine.



J. A. MILLER.

ENvBLoP SBALING AND STAMPING m0111113.l

APPLIGATIOH FILED HAY 11, 1908. 930,400. Patented Aug. 10, 1909.4SHEETS-SHBET 1.

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J. A. MILLER. BNVELOP SEALING AND STAMPING MACHINE.

APPLIGATIN FILED MA i 930,400. Y n ma Patented Aug. I0, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. A. MILLER. ENVELOP- SEALING AND STAMPING MAcHxNE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 11, 1908. 930,400. Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

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J. A. MILLER., BNVELOP SEALING AND STAMPING MAOHINE.

Iazenteo'l Aug. 10, 1909.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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UNIE@ SATS ATNT OFFICER.

JOI-IN A. MILLER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, TO .IOI-IN A. MILLER CO., OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA, A CORPORA- TION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ENVELOP SEALING AND STAMPING MACHINE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Jol-IN A. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore City and State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in EnvelopSealing and Stamping Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inmachines for sealing and stamping envelops.

The invention has for its object the production of a simple andinexpensive machine by means of which the flampfdeniielops and the likemay be readily ninistened and subsequently sealed while said flap is inits normally folded position.

A further M1object is to provide improved means for feeding stamps andapplying them to the successive envelops during the sealing operation.

A further obj ect is to so arrange the sealing and stamping units, withrelation to the moistening unit, that the former cannot operate untilthe latter has completed its functions.

A further object is to provide a moistening unit of simple constructionand provided with means to insure a positive and accurate engagementwith the iiap of the envelop.

A further object is to provide means for discharging moisture from themoistening unit upon the adhesive of the envelop The invention will behereinafter fffily set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation illustratingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlargedlongitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of themoistening unit. Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of thestamp severing device. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view illustratingthe back of the lat-ter. Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating themechanism for disengaging the moistening unit after the same hascompleted its functions. Figs. 8 and 9 are plan and sectional viewsrespectively of the machine showing the same fitted with acoincontrolled lock.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several gures ofthe drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed May 11, 1908.

Patented Aug'. 10, 1909.

Serial No. 432,185.

base, the top of which is provided with an opening 11 in which ispivotally mounted a leaf 12, the latter being provided with an undergroove 13. The moistening unit comprises a carrier 14 mounted to slidein an inclined guideway 15 and provided with a wedge shaped casing 1Gfilled with a suitable absorbent material 17, the bottom surface ofwhich is exposed forming a flap moistening pad. Said carrier 14 isconnected by means of a link 18 to a crank arm 19 secured to a shaft 2Omounted to oscillate in suitable bearings in base 10. The leaf 12 isnormally supported in a horizontal position by crank arm 19, the freeend of which is retained normally in engagement with the under side ofsaid leaf by means of spring 21. Said spring also serves to hold thecarrier 14 in a normally retracted position, a dash pot 22 beingarranged to break the shock of the return of the carrier under theinfluence of said spring. Keyed to shaft 20 is what is termed a squeegeeor squeezing member comprising a holder 23 provided with a socket inwhich is mounted a spring pressed rod 24 having a head or enlargement25.

To one end of shaft 20 is secured a second crank arm 2G to the outer endof which is pivotally connected a link or pitman 27. The free end ofsaid link is provided with an open slot or notch 2S normally engaging apin 29 mounted in the lower end of an operating lever 30. Said lever issecured to a shaft 31 mounted in suitable bearings 32.

On one side of base 10 is pivotally mounted an arm 33 carrying a stampmoistening pad 34 which overhangs the top of said base in position tomoisten that portion of the envelop that receives the stamp. Said pad isoperated by means of a pitman 35 connecting arm 33 with a crank arm 3Gcarried by shaft 20. The pad 34 may receive moisture from a suitablewater cup 37, and the pad 17 may be so arranged as to receive moisturefrom a water receptacle 3S secured to base 10 and feeding into one sideedge of said padthrough an orifice 38a. A suitable envelop guiding stop39 is arranged adjacent leaf 12 and an angular or V-shaped presser 40serves to complete the sealing operation.

Stamps may be fed from the reel R through a guide 41 by means of feedrolls 42 vmounted in suitable relation, the upper roll being providedwith a ratchet wheel 43 adapted to be engaged by a pawl 44. Said pawl ispivotally connected to a crank arm 45 carried by shaft 46, means beingprovided for an adjustment of the connection between said crank andpawl. The shaft 4G is rocked by means of a link 47 connected at one endto a crank arm 4S carried by said shaft, the other end of said linkbeing connected to a second crank arm 4Sat carried by shaft 31. Thestamp guide 41 is preferably formed in the `lower end of a verticalcutter guide 50 in which is arranged a reciprocatory carrier block 51.The rear face of said block is recessed to receive a spring pressedcutting blade 52 arranged to have a shearing action in connection withthe guide 41, but so constructed as not to cut into the envelop. Thepresser pad 40 is secured to the front face of block 51. The saidcarrier block 51 is reciprocated by means of a link 53 connecting thesame with a crank arm 54 secured to shaft 31. Adjacent operating lever30 is a trip lever 55 having an angular portion 5G provided with a link57 arranged to engage a hook-like nose or protuberance 5S upon the endof pitman 27. Said trip lever is normally held in the position shown byspring 59.

In practice, an envelop is placed flap down upon the top face of thebase 10 and with the fiap edge in engagement with the stop 39. The lever30 is then moved in the direct-ion indicated by the arrow, F ig. 1,whereupon crank arm 19 will be moved out of engagement with leaf 12 andthe latter will drop. At the same time, carrier 14 will be moved forwardso that the wedge shaped casing 1G enters between the flap and the bodyof the envelop, as illustrated in Fig. 4. At about this time, the head25 of the squeegee member engages the groove 13 of leaf 12, forcing thelatter upward and exerting a squeezing action upon pad 17 and therebyexpelling moisture therefrom and depositing the same upon the adhesiveportion of the envelop flap. Simultaneously with the foregoing operationthe stamp moistener 34 has been brought in forcible contact with theenvelop, thereby depositing suflicient moisture to effect the adhesionof the stamp when the same is applied, as will later appear. By the timethe foregoing operations have taken place, the block 51 has been4lowered in proximity to the envelop. The next step in the operationconsists in pulling trip lever 55 against the action of spring 59,thereby raising link 27 out of engagement with pin 29, whereupon theseveral elements of the moistening unit will be returned to their normalpositions by spring 21. A further operation of lever 30 will now causethe pawl 44 to engage ratchet 43 and eect the feeding forward of thestamp strip (not shown), and just as the feeding movement is completed,

the stamp is severed by knife 52 and the sealing completed by presser 40and the stamp aflixed by the press pad 51a in the block 51. The link 27is supported by a suitable pin in such position as to readily permitsaid link to rengage pin 29 upon return movement of lever 30. Thus itwill be seen that the envelop is elfectually sealed and this without thenecessity of first straightening out the flap and subsequently holdingthe same after the moistening step, which is now the practice followedin sealing machines now in general use. It is obvious that if desired,the stamping unit may be dispensed with without departing from thespirit of the invention.

If desired, the improved sealing machine may be provided with acoin-controlled mechanism. rl`he latter may be of any preferredstructure, the forni shown consisting of a locking lever 60 having oneend in engagement with an arm 61 carried by shaft 20, the other end ofsaid lever being provided with a coin receptacle G2. rIhe weight of thecoin in said receptacle causes the disengagement of the locking lever inan obvious manner. The coin is discharged by suitable means well knownin the art.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a base having a drgpping envelopsupport, a flap moistener arranged to 'e'i'iter behind the envelop flapover said support, a stamp position moistener operating in time with theflap moistener and also working over said support, and sealing meansalso arranged to operate above said support.

2. In a machine of the class described, a base having a dropping leaf, areciprocal pad moistener arranged to be carried above said leaf whendepressed, a movable stamp position moistener arranged to work over saidleaf, a single operating mechanism for said two moisteners, and sealingmeans operating above the lever.

3. In a machine of the class described, a base having an envelopsupport, a flap moistener having a movement over said support and behindthe folded flap of the envelop, a stamp position moistener movabletoward and from said support, stamp feeding means, sealing means,mechanism for operating the two moisteners in time, and means forsetting the stamp feeding and sealing means into operation, andsimultaneously throwing out of action the said moisteners.

4. In a machine of the class described, a base having an envelopsupport, a shiftable flap moistener operating over said support, a stampposition moistener also operating over said support, a shaft havingoperative connections with said moisteners for working them in time,sealing means working above the support, stamp feeding means, and

an operating device having operative connections, and also having anautomatically releasable operative connection with said shaft.

5. An envelop sealing machine comprising an operating lever, amoistening unit, means for detachably engaging said unit With saidlever, a stamp feeding unit also operatively connected with said lever,and a trip lever provided With means for disengaging said moisteningunit.

G. An envelop sealing machine comprising an operating lever, amoistening unit, a link for operating said unit and detachably engagingsaid lever, a stamp feeding unit operatively connected With said lever,'and means for disengagingy said link from said lever. i

7 An envelop sealing machine comprising an operating lever, a moisteningunit, a link for operating said unit and detachably engaging said lever,a stamp feeding unit operatively connected with said lever, and a triplever for disengaging said link from said lever.

8. An envelop sealing machine comprising an operating lever, amoistening unit, a link for operating said unit and detachably engagingsaid lever, a stamp feeding unit operatively connected with said lever,a trip lever having an angular portion, and a link carried by saidangular portion adapted to engage the free end of the first mentionedlink to disengage the same from the operating lever.

9. An envelop sealing machine comprising an operating lever, amoistening unit det-achably connected with said lever, a stamp feedingunit, a paWl controlled by said lever for operating the stamp feedingunit, and means for detaching said moistening unit before said paWlbecomes operative.

10. An envelop sealing machine comprising an operating lever, amoistening unit detachably connected With said lever, a stamp feedingunit, a pawl controlled by said lever for operating the stamp feedingunit, and a trip lever provided With means for detaching said mosteningunit.

1l. An envelop sealing machine comprising an operating lever, amoistening unit detachably connected with said lever, a stamp feedingunit, a pavvl controlled by said lever for operating the stamp feedingunit, a carrier, a stamp severing knife mounted therein, a pressermember secured to said carrier, and means for detaching said moisteningunit.

12. An envelop sealing machine comprising an operating lever, amoistening unit detachably connected With said lever, a stamp feedingunit, a pawl controlled by said lever for operating the stamp feedingunit, a vertical guide, a carrier mounted to reciprocate thereinandconnected With said lever, a stamp cutter mounted in said carrier, andmeans for detaching said moistenino unit.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftWo Witnesses.

JOHN A. MILLER.

Witnesses:

D. P. WoLI-IAUP'rER, R. C. BRADDooK.

